POUGHKEEPSIE – In the wake of Dutchess County Legislator Joel Tyner’s comments suggesting that county DPW Commissioner Robert Balkind is marching to the beat of the county administration just as Nazi soldiers did in World War II, the lawmaking body is going to vote at its Monday night meeting to censure him.
Legislature Chairman Dale Borchert also called for Tyner to apologize to Balkind, the legislature and the people of the county.
“A failure to recognize his wrongdoing reflects poorly on his fitness for public office and if he continues to refuse to apologize, I am calling on him to resign as a member of this legislature,” Borchert said, calling Tyner’s remarks “outrageous and hurtful.”
“Elected officials ought to be held to a higher standard, and Legislator Tyner’s cruel remarks and stubborn refusal to acknowledge his wrongdoing are unbecoming of the office he is privileged to hold,” said Majority Leader James Miccio. “At the very least, Legislator Tyner owes Commissioner Balkind an immediate apology, and if he fails to offer one, it is a clear sign that he is unfit to hold public office.”
Tyner said on Tuesday that he made those comments because he wanted to
ruffle Balkind’s feathers during a discussion of the county’s assumption
of the City of Poughkeepsie’s bus service.
